The 2 Cents of a Bad Penny

WHY I WILL ALWAYS BE A BAD PENNY...

2012-02-17T11:18:00.002-05:00

Just Being Me

SQUARE PEG SURROUNDED BY ROUND HOLES?

Story of my life...

Opener of worm cans?

Wall to wall worms 24/7/365

Always walking with one foot up on the curb, and one foot off?

Exactly!

On The Outside Looking In?

It will always be this way...

I do not fit in, never have, and never will. I wanna conform, and I'd kill myself to do it. I can't be a nonconformist. I remember standing in a long line at a "stop and rob" quickie mart, outside Champaign, IL. It was the same place I always stopped for gas and snacks for the 3.5 hour drive home. The clerk was something extraordinary to behold. She was a very physically unattractive girl. But what she lacked in natural beauty she made up for with a truly horrific display of multicolored hair, goth clothing, a face so covered with piercings she looked like a connect the dots page from a coloring book. What the metal didn't cover she attempted to bury beneath layers of vampire makeup. She was a freak of nature, not mother nature, but a construct of her chosen alternative anti-establishment group.

The scary chick behind the register was a kindred spirit. The difference between us was she'd found a group who would finally accept her, and she rose or lowered herself, to the level of those who'd accepted her. I have never found a group into which I fit, because I do not like willfully lowering myself merely to have a place to fit. I try, but then God starts confronting me from the pages of the Bible. I'm not a non-conformist. I've always wanted to fit in so badly I'd have happily killed myself, nearly did more than once, to conform. The weird looking clerk found a place to conform, and she exactly looked the part. "If you can't beat them, and they won't let you join them, then f*** them! And make your own group to fit into", is how that kind of thing works.

I suppose it could be argued I'd found a place when I self-identified as gay. But calling myself gay based completely on the premise: "I feel this way, therefore I am..." has always seemed to be utterly absurd. In the end I did learn "feelings" should not be trusted in life and death situations. If a matter is of life and death importance then treat it with the care and respect such situations deserve. Today I am G.O.D. positive and HIV negative (and negative for every other STD as well). I refused to settle for less and got more than I'd ever hoped or dreamed I could have.

Someone might say I have found a group to fit into: The Church. That isn't true either. I have never fit into "the church" as we know it. When I came to Christ I found the one person who had overcome the world, sin, "me, myself, and I," every temporary worldly concern and thing, and a whole lot more! God has never allowed me to settle for less than what He wants. God showed me early on the perfect prayer:

"God I want Your perfect will, not your permissive will. Please God do not ever let me settle for less than Your perfect will. In Jesus' name, Amen!"

I will always be on the outside of "the American church", looking in. Does this mean I think I understand all things? Do you honestly think I am following God, and if you don't look like me, I think you aren't following God??? If I thought you, my readership, didn't have important insights from God, He hasn't bestowed upon me, and believed you weren't truly interested in serving God, I wouldn't waste my time on you.'

God has never given up on me, and he has never given into my demanding tantrums to, "Just leave me alone!" In fact the last time I told God, "Leave me alone," He told me, "DON'T YOU EVER TELL ME TO LEAVE YOU ALONE AGAIN!" I have never experienced something that intense in all my life. The fear of God is more than simple reverence.

There is a line from the movie The International, starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts, which fits what I'm talking about perfectly. There is a conversation between Naomi Watts' character and her boss.

Naomi Watts: "We have to find the truth! And finding the truth means taking responsibility."

Boss : "Yes, exactly! Which is why people avoid the truth at all cost!"

[Those aren't the exact lines, but it's close enough for horseshoes and hand grenades]

The truth is Jesus Christ has overcome the world, and everyone born again, of the Holy Spirit, overcomes the world. It is the responsibility of the Church of Jesus Christ to allow Him to overcome the world (utterly defeat and destroy the ways of the world) in and through them.

The truth is Jesus Christ cancelled our earthly citizenship the moment the Holy Spirit made us born again.

"...for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world."

John 17:14

"They are not of the world, even as I am not of it."

John 17:16

The truth is just as Father sent Jesus into the world, Jesus sent us into the world. The same call Father God gives Jesus, Jesus gives to His Church.

"As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world."

John 17:18

Before anyone wastes my time telling me, "That's your opinion, Lonnie," let me just say this: My opinion, until quite recently, has been: "God, I think You should leave me alone, and let me live out my life quietly. Wasn't being gay punishment enough for one lifetime?" The church in America hated or ignored me as a gay man, and they still hate me now. Telling the American church the truth will only succeed in getting me killed.

I'm not going to die for my opinion. I'm going to die because the truth means having to take responsibility, just EXACTLY as Jesus commands, and American christians will do almost anything to avoid the truth. I don't have any choice in the matter. I've prayed for years: "God I want Your perfect will, please do not let me settle for less."

I am not a citizen of the world any longer. "They are not of the world, even as I am not of it." ~Jesus of Nazareth. You are either a citizen of Christ's kingdom, or you are a citizen of a worldly one. Jesus does not allow for duel citizenship. Jesus said it 2,000 years ago, and since, "God is the same yesterday, today, and forever...," the decree of Christ holds true to this day.
The Father sent Jesus into the world to save it, and Jesus sends us into the world, filled with the Holy Spirit, and through us Jesus Christ continues His ministry.

"For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Ephesians 2:10

"Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father."

John 14:12

To the Christians in America I will always be a "bad penny," but if I could have my way I'd like to just quietly sit in the background fitting in.

One last thing...

I will never again vote or take part in any political party, or political activity, for any reason whatsoever. I do not have a problem with America in the least. America is lost, SEE, NO PROBLEM...understanding lost America. Until the American church, from every sector and denomination, comes together on the steps of city hall; the rotunda of the state house; and the on the steps of the capital in Washington D. C. to repent of our sins, NOT America's sins, but the sins of Christ followers; saints; Christians. America is a godless nation, not because of the sins of the lost, but because of the wickedness of those who name the name of Christ as savior. Once Christ followers start publicly repenting to God and the lost, then, AND ONLY THEN, can we seek God about how He would have us handle politics.

I am blessed to have been born in America. I have enormous problems with American Christians who will not give themselves over to following Christ's ways and Christ's agenda. Too many American Christians have deceived themselves and others into believing God must bless and prosper their self-centered and self-serving agenda. God blesses and prospers only the work done in and through us by the Holy Spirit. For God to bless and prosper human agendas and human ways would be to deny Himself; would make God a liar; and make God subservient to human whim.

For it is written:

"Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the LORD.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Isaiah 55:7-9

THERE ARE NO LAW ABIDING CITIZENS IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN...

2012-02-02T13:00:00.000-05:00

...The citizens of the kingdom of God are all GRACE abiding citizens.

A COMMENT I LEFT ON ANOTHER WEBLOG...

2012-01-31T10:00:00.000-05:00

This is the sign which occasioned a Christian to say, "I don't see anything wrong with that sign." What follows below is my response to that comment...

My father was an avid gun collector, and he taught all of us how to fire and maintain a firearm. He also started teaching us gun safety when we were very little kids. I have no problem with guns, the Second Amendment, hunting, or even with the use of deadly force to protect the women folk (or men folk for that matter), and all the tiny tots. I was raised by parents who valued deeply their citizenship, and were always conspicuously patriotic. I have an American pedigree which is nothing short of stellar; a signer of The Declaration of Independence, and ancestors who served in nearly every armed conflict beginning with the Revolutionary war right up to today. My oldest brother has served, with distinction, at the Pentagon, for many years. First in the Army, and now as a civilian, doing the same job he did while in the service.

Until most recently I had several firearms of my own, which I inherited from my dad. But recently I've given my firearms to my two older brothers. I have been confronted more and more with my new citizenship in Christ's kingdom, and the conflicts between his kingdom and my earthly citizenship. God is conforming us to the image and likeness of His Son, and these are a few things Jesus teaches:

"Blessed are the peacemakers,For they shall be called sons of God." Matthew 5:9

If the peacemakers are called the sons of God what do we call the gun makers? To be conformed to the image and likeness of Jesus is to be a peacemaker.

"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." John 3:17

If Jesus doesn't come to condemn the world, but, rather, He came to save it, then to be conformed to the image and likeness of Christ is to offer eternal life and salvation through the gospel. Firearms condemn.
"You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also."

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:38-39 & 43-45

To be conformed to the image and likeness of Christ means not standing on my legal rights, but rather doing good to the world which is God's enemy. And being conformed to the image and likeness of Christ means "love your enemies..." And Jesus doesn't simply stop at teaching love of enemies, but that love for enemies is synonymous with being the children of Father God. YIKES!! Guns are most definitely all about my legal right to demand the life of an evil person who has earned that wage, but God is conforming me to the image and likeness of Jesus, so how does being like Jesus work at all with shooting the evil person a Christian is told not to resist??

"Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”" Luke 23:34

That is the coup de grace! There Jesus hangs on a cross, looking at the very people who have wrongly condemned convicted and executed Him, but He PLEADS FOR THEIR LIVES!   This is the one I can't get around at all, no matter how I've tried to justify my potential use of lethal force, I can't in light of what Jesus does. God is conforming me to the image and likeness of Christ, and Christ pleads for the forgiveness of those who murder Him!!!   This is what God is conforming me to be like
.
With all of God's conforming going on, within us, who in the Church would have such a sign? I'm not saying there is never any call for the use of deadly force, but where does it fit in the life conformed to the image and likeness of Christ?? Could Jesus, hanging on the cross, have possibly used a gun to shoot His way out, then looked up to heaven and pleaded with Father for forgiveness for the men He shot or shot at?!

Don't get me wrong I miss my guns, but I can't find a place in the image and likeness of Jesus for my holsters, or gun rack!!

ON STARTING MY 48TH YEAR

2012-01-02T10:19:00.000-05:00

There Are Worse Things Than Getting Older...

A 48 year old fixing a faucet.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

~ Martin Luther King Jr.

Happy New Year! My birthday isn't the first of 2012, but the thirty-oneth of December. I spent the morning and early afternoon finishing up my visit to my cousin and her husband, and drove home. I got home at about 7:00 PM on Saturday, so I spent a lot of my day in transit. I've had 47 birthdays before, and there is little new, so traveling was actually a nice change for once. I have two short years left before the big FIVE-ZERO, but I've learned quite a bit in my short 48 years of life. I'll share eight of the greatest things God has taught me in 21 years of being a believer...

Jesus really does overcome our sin and our sin natures. He does this by taking us to death on the cross with him. When Paul writes, "It is not I who live, but Christ who lives in me," he isn't kidding, he is dead serious. God gives us a new nature, one born of his own Holy Spirit. Die daily to self, build up the new inner person, allow Christ to indwell you through the Holy Spirit, and Christ living in you will overcome your nature. Jesus says, "...I have overcome the world." Invite Jesus to enable you to die, and then invite him to live his life in you. Try it, and see what you get. "...We know it when we love God and obey his commands. ³ Here is what it means to love God. It means that we obey his commands. And his commands are not hard to obey. ⁴ That's because everyone who is a child of God has won the battle over the world. Our faith has won the battle for us. ⁵ Who is it that has won the battle over the world? Only the person who believes that Jesus is the Son of God." 1 John 5:2-5 (NIV Reader's Version)

If you screw up, God can and will fix it. I do not know what it will cost for God to fix it when you screw up, but when you screw up ask God to fix it, and see what you get. I'm not you so I can't tell you how God will deal with you when you screw up. It may be the worst sin in the world, from your perspective, but God can fix anything we screw up. It may cost you something, it may cost you a lot, and it is assured you will be humbled. God will fix your screw up, if you will only ask, and willingly do whatever he tells you to do.

God still speaks. Yes, he speaks most often through his written word, but sometimes there isn't a verse of Scripture from which to speak. God isn't going to give you some new revelation; you're not going to be adding to the Bible. How do I know God still speaks to us, even outside the Bible? Simple, because the Bible tells us so... "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." John 10:27. You may say, "Today God only speaks through the Bible," but you are only depriving yourself of God's voice. Only a fool would dare tamper with the word of the living God in such a way. Do not attempt to limit God, for you only succeed in limiting his power in your life. God still speaks, but are you listening?

"...early Christianity was not a 'religion of the Book,' but rather 'the religion of the Spirit and the living Christ'"

~ The Biblical Canon, page 33.

"I think that, for the most part, evangelicals have taken the easy way and chosen to chase the Holy Spirit into the Bible."

~ Roger E. Olson, Professor of Historical Theology

{Thank you, Cousin James, for these quotes! And Happy belated Birthday on the oneth!!!}

Hatred wins nothing. Christians may say, "Hate the sin, but love the sinner," but these "christians" are almost always dishonest (I can say, without fear of correction, that everyone I've met who used that quote was lying!!). Those I've met who said, "Hate the sin, but love the sinner," showed they only loved hating the sin, if not blatantly hating the sinner as well. Jesus tells us to love our enemies, because when we love our enemies God is able to show us they are really just a reflection of ourselves. The only way to overcome hate is with love. Jesus says of our enemies: ⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁴⁶ If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? ⁴⁸ Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Do you see that? Jesus says, ⁴⁴ "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be children of your Father in heaven." Loving our enemies proves we are the children of God! And what is the last statement Jesus makes, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Jesus absolutely connects love for enemies with the perfection of God! Jesus isn't making an empty statement, he's commanding us!! Of course it is impossible for us to be perfect, so Christ makes us born again, and then indwells us, so that he may perfectly love as our heavenly Father does in and through us. Still angry about 9/11? Still angry with Muslims? Still itching for revenge against the people's the United States has made war against? What does Jesus tell you to do? What is Jesus' command? What is the proof Jesus requires of those who are God's true children?

"Have we not come to such an impasse in the modern world that we must love our enemies - or else? The chain reaction of evil - hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars - must be broken, or else we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation."

"The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: "If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?" But... the good Samaritan reversed the question: "If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?"

“That old law about 'an eye for an eye' leaves everybody blind. The time is always right to do the right thing.”

~ Martin Luther King Jr.

God heals your relationship first with himself, then with those in his and your born again family; the Church. Finally he pours out his Spirit upon us that we may offer healing and wholeness to a hurt and dying world. Don't shove your own relationships under the rug, in the name of "helping others". Allow God to reach in and begin fixing you, your relationship to him, and then the relationships in the Church. The family of God is where we learn to love; our Christian brothers and sisters are the guinea pigs, before we approach a hurting sin filled world! Today nearly everyone in the Church is as broken and dysfunctional as the world. How can the broken and dysfunctional fix a broken and dysfunctional world?! Reaching out to the world is a part of your growth and healing, but get some house cleaning done in your own house, before tackling the world's mess.

Jesus Christ's own definition of a Christian is "one who is obedient". Don't believe me? Then you've not been reading the Bible, because Jesus is very clear. Jesus own words: ³¹ "To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. ³² Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32. Honestly, how much more does Jesus have to say? Jesus says, *IF*, **IF**, NOTICE JESUS SAYS, "IF"...."If you hold to my teachings, you are really my disciples." What do you think it means "IF" you don't hold to his teachings?! "IF" means, "IF you don't hold to my teachings, you are not really my disciples!!" 1) Die daily to yourself, your ways, your selfish desires and pursuits, "put off the old self along with its deceitful desires..." 2) "Put on the new self, created to be like Christ". 3) Ask God to enable you to obey him, and 4) Obey the teachings of Jesus. Which teachings of Jesus do you obey?? Start with: "Love God and your neighbor as you (already) love yourself." "Do to others what you would like them to do to/for you." "Love your enemies." (see above.). "Love one another; just as I have loved you, you must love one another." "Go into all the earth and make disciples of all nations." Obey these lessons, and God will give you understanding as to how to keep all the others.

Give of your income and of your time in service. Don't give me any of this nonsense about tithing isn't for the Church. I'm not talking about keeping a law! I'm talking about a very central part of God's own character. The greatest verse on giving in the Bible is not in the Old Testament. The Christian gives because of John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,..." God gave ALL of his wealth; God gave ALL of his treasure! For what could God give or create which would equal the value of his only Son??!! Giving isn't law, it is the heart of God! Start out with 10%, but don't ever stop there! Give offerings to any in need, and it doesn't have to be an established ministry of some kind. You can give offering to a homeless person in need. You can give offering to a family whose house has burned down. You can give offering to the person who has a flat tire and no spare! It is God's heart to give and this is the only reason you ever need to give. Do you want to know and have God's own heart beating within you? THEN GIVE TO STRANGERS WITHOUT EXPECTING ANYTHING BACK, AND WITHOUT ANY STRINGS ATTACHED!!! 10% is only the beginning...

Temptation is not sin. I'm tired of hearing "christians" whining about their struggles and temptations. Being tempted or having a terrible thought, pop unannounced, into your head is not sin. If you pursue the temptation, and/or allow the thought to take root and become your thought, then you are in sin. "Everyone born of God overcomes the world..." "If anyone is in Christ they are a new creation; the old has passed away. Behold everything is made new." "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." "But we have the mind of Christ." "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." Get it? GOT IT? GOOD!! Temptation is going to be there for the rest of our lives, but that doesn't mean we have to accept it, or allow it to define us and control us. Satan doesn't have a weapon to use against you if you are in Christ; a Christian. The Holy Spirit once told me to listen to the language of temptation. I'd always thought pictures would pop into my mind and that was the extent of most temptation, but as I obeyed the Spirit, and actually listened I learned something very important about temptation. Temptation is a backhanded accusation. Indeed a picture would suddenly pop into my head, but then I carefully listened, and sure enough there was a snide whisper along with the picture. I could hear, "You know this is what you really want," or "Take this, you know it belongs to you." NO! Sinful thoughts do not belong to me! Why don't sinful thoughts belong to me? "If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation, the old has passed away..." 2 Corinthians 5:17. I am a new creation in Christ, and I DO NOT think sinful thoughts any longer. Sinful thoughts do not come from the new nature born of God's own Spirit. The Holy Spirit indwells my new born spirit, and it is impossible for such thoughts to begin in my mind. Ephesians 4:22-24: ²² "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; ²³ to be made new in the attitude of your minds; ²⁴ and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. NOW SEE HERE! If you can't "put off your old self," why does the word of God say you can!?!? If you are stuck with a messed up sinful mind then why does God's word tell us, "...be made new in the attitude of your minds..."???!!! If all you are is a "sinner saved by grace," and you have no choice but to sin, then why are we told "put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."???!!! IT IS IN THE BIBLE BECAUSE GOD HAS MADE YOU A NEW CREATION, AND THE OLD HAS TRULY PASSED AWAY. 1) Put off the old self. 2) Renew your mind with God's holy truth. 3) Put on the new self, created BY God, TO BE LIKE God, and walk in the Spirit, so you don't sin against God! IF IT ISN'T POSSIBLE THEN GOD IS A LIAR!!! And we know God is not a liar...."Let God be true, and every man a liar." If you aren't going to believe the truth: A) that God has made you a new creation, B) seated you with Christ (right now), and that C) because God has given you a new, born again spirit, made to be like Jesus Christ; and that God is right now conforming you to the image and likeness of Christ; and God has created you anew, so that you overcome the world...then perhaps, just maybe?, could it be possible?, you might want to consider... you do not have faith in the overcoming power of Jesus Christ and that would leave you:

D) Dishonoring God! Doubting the power of God's grace!! Denying the sovereign power of Christ to overcome sin!!!

JUST SOME THOUGHTS

GOOD WILL TOWARD MANKIND

2011-12-24T08:24:00.002-05:00

I'll Be Working

I had a lady in the checkout line at about 4:30 AM Friday morning get her panties all in a bunch. She wasn't upset over merchandise shortages, sale prices not scanning, or because we didn't have her brand of cigarette. No she was upset because I would be working on Christmas. Mind you, I'm not the least bit upset, and more about that in a moment. First let me also tell you about an email all of our stores received from Corporate. We made the "naughty" list at the American Family Association or AFA. The AFA sent out a poisoned Christmas message to boycott my company this holiday season. It seems my company is politically correct and only allow our associates to use holiday greetings like, well, like, "Holiday Greetings", or "Happy Holidays". This was news to us, because we are absolutely allowed and actually encouraged to say "Merry Christmas". Every year I wear my "Merry Christmas" tie, and my decorated moose antlers. And I go a little further, with the holiday greetings, and say, "Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays" in the same holiday wish. I throw in the Happy Holidays to flush out the "Christmas Nazis". When I say the Happy Holidays part they pounce on me verbally. Everyone in line gets a great education about what true evil looks like when these "christians" start spewing anger, and hatred toward anyone who dares say anything other than "Merry Christmas". I give people one little phrase and they bite; pumping out more venom than a rattle snake.

As I said, I am working this Christmas. I'm looking forward to it. Why would I, a professing Christian, be glad I am working instead of being where I OUGHT to be? First off I have a job! I am very happy and thankful to have a job this year. But of greatest importance: I'm a Christian. Who else, besides a Christian, do you want folks to meet? Do you want a pissy atheist to face the harried, tired, hurting, lonely and stressed Christmas shopper? Who else is going to give folks "Good will toward mankind?" I'm keeping Christmas by allowing the Holy Spirit to show God's good will toward the corner of the world he's put me in.

Do you think I'm somehow unaware of the part I play in the evil plan of the "money grubbers"? I'm aware of how materialistic Christmas has become, and that my working on Christmas is in service to corporate America. It doesn't matter, because wherever I am Christ is, and Christ overcomes the world. I'm not looking to make money, I'm looking to serve people, and offer a warm, loving, funny, Christ filled guy who helped bring a smile to what may be a bleak and lonely time. Honestly who else should be in front of these folks? The problem isn't that my company took "Christ" out of Christmas. Only Christians can truly take Christ out of Christmas. Keep Christ in Christmas, by simply allowing him to shine through. Serve wherever you are, and so honor and promote the power of Christ to overcome the world. I can't express to you how much I am looking forward to working this Christmas! I'll be praying, loving, and serving, just as Christ would have me behave. What, honestly, should a fellow Christian expect of me at Christmas??

How will you be serving, loving, and shining so the world can see Christ in Christmas?

THANKFUL FOR...

2011-11-24T19:32:00.001-05:00

Enemies, Discipline, and Challenges

"If we'll trust God he'll reveal our reflection in our enemies. If we'll trust God, he'll show us how he can work through us to do good, both to our enemies and ourselves."

"give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

1 Thessalonians 5:18

We're all thankful for the obvious things health, gainful employment, family, life, liberty and the right to pursue happiness, and many more. But when was the last time you stopped and thanked God for those who hate you, or for discipline and challenges? We're told to give thanks in all circumstances, but do you realize God is behind many of the circumstance we'd usually say are "bad"? I'm not saying God would send someone to harm you, or steal from you. Not every bad thing comes from God. God doesn't send murderers, rapists, thieves, or hoards of pillaging barbarians to harm people. But there are situations and circumstances God will place us in which don't feel good. Is it possible your mean boss; cursing neighbor; thoughtless, careless, always late, employee; smart mouthed teen you teach in Sunday School; out to get you co-worker or teacher; stressful season at work or home, are all gifts from God? I know we don't like to think anything from God could make us feel bad, but we're told in Scripture, in both Old and New Testament, that God disciplines his children. We're told God's discipline is necessary or we are illegitimate children, so those things which hurt are good things. We should remember that God doesn't promise us happiness. God's desire is to conform us to the image and likeness of Jesus.

⁷ "During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. ⁸ Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered ⁹ and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him."

Hebrews 5:7-9

WOMP! THERE IT IS! WOMP! THERE IT IS!

I've been receiving some real opposition from every direction in my life lately. You know what helps with the frustration and anger? I say, "God I thank you for this circumstance, I accept it as discipline, and know you are using it to help conform me to the image and likeness of Jesus." The pressure lessens when we accept that what we're enduring is a tool in God's hands for our good. So today, along with the food, family, and fun I'm thankful for coworkers who work against me. I'm thankful for the clerk I have to babysit and endure his ridiculous excuses. I am thankful for the family who know the buttons to punch to send me over the edge. I'm thankful for the boss who refuses to see the issues with my clerk, who works harder at getting out of work than just doing the work. I'm thankful for the boss who tries to pressure me to do my clerks work for him, instead of working so hard to make sure my clerk is doing the work expected. I'm thankful for customers who puke, bleed, and poop on my floor; use my bathroom sink for everything but washing their hands; open packages of everything to remove a quarter or half the contents, and throwing the box behind other merchandise on the shelf. I'm thankful for the customers who blame my employees for their own stupidity, and that I have to stand there in the face of their stupidity and say, "Gee, I'm so sorry for our mistake," all the while thinking silently to myself, "You suck, but I'm apologizing, how is this right??"

So, what are the things you can't feel good about, but, for which, you should recognize God's good hand and purpose? What circumstances are you not thanking God for, but you should be thanking God for, because through them God is doing you eternal good?

CONFESSIONS OF A RELUCTANT SHEPHERD

2011-10-21T14:00:00.000-04:00

This post was originally posted on another blog site. "Such_were_you", was the name of that blog. It is now shut down and cannot be accessed. I started a new blog on this other blogging site, but with a completely different name and approach. Sorry for the confusion this post will create. I'm too lazy to rewrite it to fit Blogger...

The Greatest Problem With American Christianity:

Christians Don't Truly Believe Jesus

What's wrong with this picture?

EVERYTHING!

"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."

James 1:22

BIGGEST CONFESSION YET:

Would you like to know what frustrates and enrages me most about Christians? Would you like to know why I was so harsh and downright mean toward Christians in so many of my "Such_were_you" blogs?

Every time I got comments like, "Wow, Lonnie you sure have great insights," and/or "Wow, Lonnie your testimony of life in homosexuality and new life in Christ is powerful!" Those comments and comments like them used to really piss me off! BUT the kind of comment that sent me through the roof, and into a hot as hell rage was, "Could I send someone who is gay or struggling with same-sex attraction to your site, or may I email a copy of this post to a gay person I know." Another common comment which sent me over the edge was: When I'd finally get fed up with Christian or so called "struggling" [with same-sex attraction] Christians, and shut down one of my sites, someone would say something like, "Would you leave your site up, so we can use it as a resource." I used your names in vain, like you can't imagine! I would not be surprised if some of your ears burned for a couple of days.

Why so angry??? I don't need anyone patting me on the back, or informing me how good my insights are. I know the insights are good, they come right from God. I obeyed the teachings of Christ, and every single spiritual insight I have comes directly from believing what God says, and obeying his teachings. DUH?!?!

Jesus said, "Do what I teach, obedience makes you my true follower, as you walk with me obediently you will get to know me better and better, and knowing me (the truth) sets you free."

(The Bad Penny paraphrase of John 8:31-32).

I know exactly what I'm talking about because I did what God told me to do, and that is all there is to it. If any of you had really believed I knew what I was talking about you'd have done the things I told you to do in my blogs. I don't need anyone of you to know I know what I'm talking about. I NEED ALL OF YOU TO KNOW WHAT JESUS TAUGHT ME! The only way for you to know what Jesus taught me is DO WHAT I TOLD YOU TO DO. See if you had obeyed what I told you to do you would have run right into Christ. And there are a several things you would learn for yourself 1) If you'd done what I said you'd have learned it really came from the Holy Spirit and not me. 2) You'd have learned that Christ is the only source of wisdom you needed, and all I told you to do was merely a stepping stone. 3) You'd have been able to really and truly trust me, because you would know, beyond any doubt, what I said came from the Holy Spirit and NOT by applying my own intellect. 4) The Holy Spirit would teach you things he never taught me, and you could have come back and taught me what God showed you.

The greatest truth God would have taught you is: The greatest problem of the Church is that it has the same exact problem LGBT people, porn loving people, shacking up people, cheating on their spouses people, pedophile people, and the rest. The greatest problem of the church in America especially is you are relationally broken people; The American church has the same "plank" in our eye. This is why the Church cannot understand or reach sexually broken people like LGBT people or Christians who struggle with same-sex attraction...God's cure for the problem of sexual immorality is RELATIONSHIP! Why is it that no one seems to know that? Why is it the Church condemns, accepts, or does nothing with sexually broken people??? We cannot see because we are blinded to our own broken relationship with God. If you've ever met someone with your own character flaws you will dislike, avoid, criticize mercilessly, and/or excuse them altogether. This is the truth I was never able to tell any of you, but I so wanted to bring out into the open. Why didn't I just come clean? The truth is something you have to learn through obedience, in the same way God taught me. I am not God, I don't make the rules. I'll say it again...WHAT DOES JESUS SAY??? WHAT DOES JESUS TEACH???

"Then Jesus turned to the Jews who had claimed to believe in him. "If you stick with this, 1) living out what I tell you, 2) you are my disciples for sure. 3) Then you will experience for yourselves the truth, and the truth will free you."

John 8:31-32

[Numbers and bold print are my additions]

The church in America can't help herself, because we've taken away obedience to Jesus Christ. Without obedience there is no relationship with God. Don't take my word for it, it's only been in the Bible for thousands of years!! Until Christians get out of their pews, and Bible studies and DO what Jesus teaches we will never know Jesus, and we will never see clearly our own broken relationship with God. AND STOP SAYING THINGS LIKE, "We haven't done anything, because we don't know what to do..." God knows exactly what to do! Remember what God said to Moses?" "GO!" Moses didn't know how to free the Hebrews from slavery to Egypt. If Moses had known what to do he would have been God. You don't know what to do with those who struggle with sexual immorality?!?!? GOOD! If you did you would be God. The command is "GO!" cause God knows, and God will show you all you need to know!! Ignorance isn't an excuse, in fact, like Moses, the true reason the Church won't go is because you don't want to go. Do you really think, Christians, you will stand before God and he'll accept, "We didn't know, so we couldn't go?" SERIOUSLY? WON'T THE ANGER OF GOD BURN AGAINST US, JUST AS GOD BURNED WITH ANGER TOWARD MOSES!?!?!?!?!?!? Church you better wake up and smell the coffee!!!

THE "SUCH_WERE_YOU" AGENDA:

To set up Christians to succeed and run smack into Jesus, (and you would have, if you'd applied what I taught in my blogs). Still I knew full well, you would never EVER listen or do anything I taught. Ministering to so called "same-sex strugglers" was never the point. If you'd bothered following a half dozen so called "strugglers" blogs, for about 6 months, you'd have quickly learned nearly all of them come to accept a homosexual identity. They never grow. They can't grow because they don't know how God has relationship, and if they did they wouldn't be online hanging out with the so called "strugglers". It didn't matter if I was nice or harsh with so called "strugglers". They won't ever listen no matter how truth is delivered to them. They don't want the truth of God which frees them. All they want is to excuse their sinful feelings, and figure out a way to create god in the likeness and image of their feelings. They want to fulfill their lusts, but want God to approve of them. Their "orientation" is the god they continue to serve.

It wasn't ever ministry to LGBT persons either. In fact I was harsh to LGBT persons on my site, so that all of you could see, clearly, how easy it is to defeat gay arguments. Oh, the house of homosexual junk science looks like a substantial house made of solid bricks and mortar. I made confetti of "gay science" with a verbal 188mm., high velocity, Howitzer. It all looks good, but gay excuses are a poorly stacked house of cards. You didn't need much education to see that for yourselves, if you'd ever bothered.

DISCLAIMER:

I need to say at this point a few of you, wonderful Christians, did listen, to a couple things. You are wise if you apply the truth of God to your lives. You will be wise if you reach out for relationship with the sexually immoral in the midst of your own church bodies. God will open your eyes to the needs of the Church. Stay to the truth and sound doctrines found in the Scriptures, but stay open to God's leading. The Church in America must repair her relationship with God, or there is no hope for the American branch. Where are the Churches of Corinth, Ephesus, Laodicea, Philadelphia? They no longer exist, do they???

CONFESSIONS OF A RELUCTANT SHEPHERD

2011-10-13T08:47:00.000-04:00

A New Trend

"All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;"

Isaiah 53:6

Not long ago, I was enjoying one of my, former, favorite hobbies/past times. I was complaining bitterly at God about HIS Church; HIS Christians; HIS greatest problem, and my greatest (perceived) problem. A thought suddenly sliced through my well tread litany of ever growing, and oft read list of Church sins, "THEY REALLY ARE LIKE SHEEP, AREN'T THEY?" I know when The Holy Spirit is speaking to me. It should have shut me up, but God was, finally, agreeing with me. I felt so relieved that God was getting on board with my view of things...Yeah right! God gets on board with my agenda!?!? What a total joke! God will never get on board with my agenda and my way of doing things! Still I jumped at God's bait, "Not just sheep God," I said, confidently, "but STUPID, uncaring, even hateful sheep!" "YES," came the response, "...LIKE SHEEP GONE ASTRAY." I was so excited God was on my side! Then the other shoe dropped, though with God it's more like he drops a whole shoe store..."SHEEP GONE ASTRAY...IN NEED OF A SHEPHERD..." Imagine standing on an airport landing strip, and getting hit, right in the kisser, by a Boeing 747 wide bodied jet. The Holy Spirit's conviction landed on me full throttle! The simple phrases which entered my thoughts don't, at first, appear to be capable of conviction. How can statements such as, "Like sheep gone astray...in need of a shepherd," possibly be considered convicting?

God's conviction came because he's called me to be a pastor two decades ago. God has always operated in and through me to minister to others. Ministry for me is and has always been very natural and organic. For years and years I really didn't understand it is simply how God is creating and conforming me to the image and likeness of Jesus. God conforming us to the likeness and image of his Son is of greatest importance, not the call to ministry. Never forget God can speak through a donkey if he so desires. I shake my head at people who make their life's pursuit "the ministry". "My ministry," never has been, and never will be mine. The ministry is God's from first to last. God simply works ministry in and through me, as I walk and serve in the Spirit. Still I have always dragged my feet...okay that's not truthful...I didn't drag my feet, I always dug my heels in, until all forward progress stopped. Then I started walking backwards. I never fully ran away from God, but I've always kept ministry, more than less, at arm's length. The simple answer for why I've always dug my heels in is because the Church hates and rejects me and people like me.

And let me be completely clear about what I mean, when I say, "The Church hates me and rejects people like me." I'm talking about a Church hijacked, run by, and centered on human beings. Church as business; Church as human institution; Church as Political Action Committee; Church as "us" against "those people"; Church as self-help/12 step program so we can control our sin, feel better about ourselves, and build up our self-esteem; Church as get rich quick, and have a "happy" life, because God is our "Celestial Sugar Daddy"; Church as Lord High Pimp for The American Dream. And before anyone starts thinking I think I know the "right way" to do Church, let's get this straight, "I don't know how to do Church "the right way."' I don't know how to do Church the right way, because I am not God the Father, God the Son, or God the Holy Spirit. I have some "right" ideas and ways, but until God is operating in and through me fully as a pastor, I won't know what Church should look like. I never wanted to be a pastor, because I can't be what I've always seen in churches and ministries. What I never understood is God isn't calling me to be what I've always seen and experienced in churches. God isn't calling me to "fix" what I've always seen and still see as serious life killing practices and beliefs in the body of Christ. And doing ministry differently doesn't mean completely reinventing the Church either.

What I'm really talking about is Holy Spirit revival. I'm talking about God's own Spirit coming into our midst and bringing us back to being the body of Christ, Father and Jesus desire for us to be. One of my friends, who is a pastor, was in a staff meeting where a former Muslim, now Christian pastor, spoke to the leaders of my friend's church. This former Muslim said this about the evolution of the Church:

"In Jerusalem, the Church was family. By the time the Church came to the Gentiles it was a community. The Church in Europe was an institution. In America the Church is a business."

I believe God is calling us to a new reformation. I don't have 95 theologians to nail to a church door, and I hope it won't be necessary (I'm joking). I don't have to go around telling everyone, "I'm right, you're wrong, and God likes me better," because I don't believe this is how God desires to work in and through me. God is right, and we've all got it wrong somewhere. God started his Church, He can and will bring it into order, and under his Lordship. I am called to serve God's purpose however God desires to work in and through me. I don't have to serve what has been in the past, but can serve God in new or renewed ways. It is my conviction that God is working to free his Church to be the family he started 2,000 years ago, in Jerusalem. Not a family according to what the world calls family, but God's family centered completely on Jesus, his call and work in the world. I can serve God as he always intended without serving what God is causing to pass away. I don't have to "make" anything happen, all I have to do is faithfully serve what God is making. So there will be a great deal more to come from a reluctant, but contented, shepherd.

Blessings,

Lonnie

CONFESSIONS OF A RELUCTANT SHEPHERD

2011-09-13T14:00:00.000-04:00

Hearing What Jesus Says

Vs.

Changing God's Word For Our Purposes

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

~ Jesus of Nazareth

Do you remember the last time you heard a sermon about the preservative nature of salt, and that part of the Church's work is preservative? I've heard several over the years. The problem is when Jesus speaks about salt he is very specific about the quality of salt he's talking about. "You are the salt of the earth;" (Matthew 5:13 NKJV). Now if this was all Jesus said, about salt, we could argue he meant salt as preservative. But Jesus continued explaining the specific quality of salt he was focusing on, "but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?" Jesus tells us very specifically "...if the salt loses flavor, how shall it be seasoned?" Clearly Jesus is speaking of believers as having a distinctive flavor. He is not speaking of salt as a preservative. The response I sometimes get from fellow believers is, "Yeah, but salt was used extensively to preserve meats, since there was no refrigeration." Saying salt is a preservative, and what Jesus says about salt are very different, subtle, but still very different.

There is an issue few people see when reading this passage of Scripture. Salt cannot lose its saltiness; not ever. If you take the time to study the culture Jesus spoke to, you get what Jesus is talking about. At the time of Jesus sojourn in Israel, salt was harvested from the shore around the Dead Sea. The salt is so concentrated in the Dead Sea it leaves huge salt deposits along the shoreline. People would go and take the salt off the shoreline and bag it. It was a "buyer beware" situation when buying a bag of salt. One might get a bag full of mostly salt and a little sand, or one might get mostly sand and a little salt. When Jesus talks about salt losing its flavor he is saying, "If believers are mostly sand (full of the world), and very little salt then they don't have the unique flavor of the Holy Spirit, and do not serve the kingdom of God, i.e. "It is good for nothing..."

If Jesus had been speaking of salt curing he would not speak of salt losing its flavor. Meat is cured in a water and salt mixture. Salt is absorbed into the water, thus separating the salt from the sand. The salt will soak into the meat, but the sand will be left behind as a residue. You could use several bags of mostly sand with a little salt, and the meat would still cure. It might take many bags of salt to get the desired salt level, but the sand can't stop the meat from drawing the salt and water mixture. Were Jesus speaking about salt for curing the amount of sand is irrelevant. The sand poses no problem, other than the fact you need more of the salt/sand mixture to get enough salt for curing.

The greatest problem with the "salt as preservative" angle is that salt doesn't save meat for life. Salt curing is done to save the meat, by keeping life out. The bacteria which cause spoilage can't live in the heavy concentration of salt in the meat, so spoilage is greatly reduced. Jesus says, ^"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." In Jesus there is no death. We are not hunks of meat kept by salt, until Jesus Christ returns. We are preserved alive by the Spirit of Life dwelling in us. Salt curing keeps bacterial life away from what is dead, for a time, but the salt levels are so high in the cured meat it is inedible by everyone, and everything not just bacteria. Before eating much of the salt has to be removed. If some of the salt isn't removed eating the meat would be akin to drinking sea water. Drinking heavy salt water has the same effect salt curing does on meat. If you drink sea water the salt will actually draw whatever water your body has out of you, dehydrating you, or salt curing you as you die! So what picture does Jesus draw for us showing how too much of a good thing, like salt, is death dealing?

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourself."

Matthew 23:15

Every time I read this verse I am reminded of salt as preservative. This is why Jesus called them "whitewashed tombs". They looked good on the outside (preserved with religious salt), but inside they were really just an old dead piece of meat... too much religious salt. The religious person settles for a salty old piece of dead meat. Jesus came to us that we might have eternal life. The way he preserves us is with, "rivers of living water gushing into us, and out of us to the world." God doesn't preserve by keeping life from us, as salt does. God preserves our life for eternity by placing his own eternally living Spirit into us. The world doesn't need preservatives which keep life out. A dead world needs to be preserved for eternal life, by being made born again and filled with the Spirit of Life.

Those who belong to Christ have the unique flavor of salt, but they are preserved by the Holy Spirit living in them. Giving the world a salt bath in religion only insures NO life will get in, including the Holy Spirit. Allow God to make you flavorful, but the work of preserving belongs exclusively to the Holy Spirit.

THEORETICAL CHRISTIANITY ISN'T CHRISTIAN:

2011-08-02T10:30:00.000-04:00

The Moses Principles:

C) Obedience Gives Us Eyes To See God

And Fills Us With A Greater Hunger For Him

¹² And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”

~ Exodus 3:12

I love that verse of Scripture! Exodus 3:12 is one of my "Bible throwing", verses. The first time I read it in the Bible I threw my Bible at the wall. I threw my Bible at the wall, because I knew in my heart, this is the way God works. Don't ask me how I knew at that moment, but upon reading Exodus 3:12 I knew God works the same way with his Church. What God is saying to Moses is, "When you have completed all the work I've sent you to Egypt to accomplish, and you are back here, on the mountain, then you will know I sent you." That is crazy! Who needs signs when the journey is over?!?! What if I asked you to come visit me at my house and said to you, "Hey when you get here I'll give you all the directions you'll need"??? You would never bother making the trip. You would think I didn't really want you to find me, wouldn't you?? But look more carefully at what God says, "I will be with you." God doesn't offer outward signs and confirmation. Moses is going to have to walk by faith. Remember what God says about faith, "We live by faith, not by sight." (2 Corinthians 5:7) Hebrews tells us a great deal more on the matter:

“But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure
in the one who shrinks back.”

~ Hebrews 10:38

It is God with us enabling us to live and do. God doesn't post road signs like the huge green ones, with huge pointing arrows, we find on Interstates. Faith in God isn't by sight, hearing, tasting, touching, or smelling. And faith doesn't come from human wisdom. People who say, "I'll believe it when I see it," will never see God. So, once all was said and done Moses would, finally, completely understand all that God had done; as we like to say it today, "Moses had 20/20 hindsight." Can you see why I threw my Bible at the wall? (Even if you don't agree with my actions). I NEED big, bold, easy to read, signs!! I need a turn by turn and inch by inch GPS!! Why doesn't God understand my needs?!?!?! MY BLANKEY??? WHERE DID I PUT MY BLANKEY??? Er...uh...um...that old thing I just needed to find it so I could throw it away!!! Look! See? In the trash can it goes!

But what happens when Moses obeys God? What happens with Moses when he and the freed Israelites get back to the place of the burning bush?

¹⁸ Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”

¹⁹ And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

~ Exodus 33:18-19

There should be two things which stick out from these verses in Exodus 33. First, Moses has been obedient, and God is pleased with him. Secondly, God says "I know your name." What does God mean "I know your name?" God is saying, "I know you because you have obeyed me." Obeying God is love for God (1 John 5). When we love God, or obey God, we are intimate with him. When God says he "knows our name," he is saying we've obeyed him, are intimate with him, and we please him. And what is Moses' response to God?? "...Now show me your glory." WOW!! WOW!! WOW!! Moses wants more of God! Moses is filled with burning desire to see, and know, and have more of God.

The Apostle Paul says it best of all:

⁷ "But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them shit, that I may gain Christ

~ Philippians 3:7-8

Paul has obeyed God! We know Paul has obeyed God, because he says, "I have Jesus Christ, and next to him everything else is a steaming, stinking pile of shit." Yes, the Apostle Paul, under the power and authority of the Holy Spirit, says, "Everything NOT Jesus Christ is shit." The more we obey God, the more clearly we see and know God. We may not understand God better, but we know him through the intimacy of obedience. And the more we obey, the more we hunger, thirst, CRAVE God, and he alone will satisfy!!

When Christ followers stand before Christ, with the "goats" to his left and the "sheep" of his flock, on his right, there will be many sad surprises. What is the keys to being in right standing with Christ, and therefore in the flock on his right?

When God calls, tell God, "Lord God I cannot possibly fulfill, perform, or achieve your call."
When God calls, tell God, "Here I am Lord, your unworthy servant! I will go, as you command."
When God has finally brought you through, you will say, without any doubt, you will proclaim, "O LORD GOD! HOW GREAT YOU ARE! ALL I WANT IS YOU!"

It's all right there in the Bible. It's been there for thousands of years! There are no excuses allowed. There is either, "Yes, Lord I will obey," or "No, Lord find someone else."

Any questions?

Lonnie

THEORETICAL CHRISTIANITY ISN'T CHRISTIAN! Part 2 B

2011-07-18T17:46:00.001-04:00

The Moses Principles:

B) Why God Condemns Ignorance

"There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it is the way of death."

~ Proverbs 14:12

So far Moses has come up with three reasons why he is the wrong man to lead God's people to freedom from slavery in Egypt.

What if Pharaoh won't listen to me?
What if the people reject me?
I can't talk.

Far from being angry with Moses, God has been very carefully explaining to Moses what to do when dealing with Pharaoh and the Israelite slaves. God also handles Moses' inability to speak. Do you ever wonder why Moses has these three particular objections to obeying God's call?

We get a vastly different view of Moses from another section of Scripture. Moses, standing before the burning bush, is a very old version of Moses. In Acts 7 we're drawn a completely different view of Moses; a view of Moses as a man of 40.

²⁰ “At that time Moses was born, and he was no ordinary child.For three months he was cared for in his father’s house. ²¹ When he was placed outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him and brought him up as her own son. ²² Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.

²³ “When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his fellow Israelites. ²⁴ He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he went to his defense and avenged him by killing the Egyptian. ²⁵ Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not. ²⁶ The next day Moses came upon two Israelites who were fighting. He tried to reconcile them by saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why do you want to hurt each other?’

²⁷ “But the man who was mistreating the other pushed Moses aside and said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us? ²⁸ Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ ²⁹ When Moses heard this, he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons.

{All bold text and underlining are my additions}

I've underlined and made bold all of the parts which have to do with Moses' three objections. Simply put, Moses' objections are based in what life experience has taught him. If you look in verse 22 you'll see that young Moses, "was powerful in speech and action." "Powerful in speech and action," is vastly different from old Moses in Exodus 4:10

¹⁰ Moses said to the LORD, “O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue."

How should we explain the discrepancy between younger Moses, "...powerful in speech and action," and old Moses, "I am slow of speech and tongue?" We're told, "Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians..." Ever here the old saying, "What you don't use you lose?" After 40 years in the wilderness, tending sheep, Moses has lost the use of, "...all the wisdom of the Egyptians." How fascinating that Moses, at the peak of his powers and abilities isn't useful to God. It is only when Moses is old and out of practice that Moses is, finally called by God.

I want you to notice something else, and this is incredibly important. Take a look at a couple pieces of Scripture, from both Exodus, and Acts.

²³ “When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his fellow Israelites...

²⁵ Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not.

~ Acts 7:23 & 25

¹⁰ So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

~ Exodus 3:10

What is different about the two sections of Scripture? The difference is the key to everything. When Moses is 40 what does he do? "...he decided to visit his fellow Israelites." Why does Moses decide to visit Israel? Moses thought his own people would realize God was using him to rescue them. The people didn't recognize Moses as anything but a murderer. Why doesn't Moses succeed even though Moses clearly understands God has called him to save the Hebrew slaves??? Who does Moses go to??? The Hebrew slaves, right?! 40 years later who does God send Moses to visit?! God tells Moses to go to Pharaoh! Moses goes to the slaves, but when God sends Moses he sends him to Pharaoh.

When Moses calls himself, to the role of savior, he goes to the slaves. But when God calls Moses he sends him to the slave master, Pharaoh. When men call themselves they deal with the result of a problem. When God calls a person to service it is to deal with the root, or cause of the problem. Moses with all of the wisdom of Egypt can't achieve the salvation God desires. God doesn't merely break the chains of bondage, he wants to destroy the very source of bondage. Egypt is a model, held up for the Jews, as an explanation of human bondage to sin. Pharaoh, is the model for Satan as slave master. God demolishes Pharaoh and Egypt. If Moses had lead the slaves in rebellion he might have succeeded, but what one man took from Pharaoh and Egypt could be retaken by a new Pharaoh. What humans do for themselves can be undone by other humans. If God does the work then the work stays done! Of course humans are so used to bondage we tend not to stray far from it. This is why God tells us,

¹ "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."

~ Galatians 5:1

When God destroys something he kills it at the root. Humans have no choice but to compromise, with sin, for we can never truly free ourselves. God does the work completely, or he doesn't do it at all. God had to come down, and perform his call in and through Moses. Moses could never have even comprehended all that God could and would do. The only person who can accomplish God's work is God. God has always worked through human beings to achieve his ends, but there is no doubt, whatsoever, that it is God who is doing the work, from beginning to end.

God doesn't become angry with Moses, because Moses is telling the truth. Moses is absolutely incapable of doing what God has called him to do. But when Moses speaks a fourth time God becomes angry. Ignorance doesn't make God angry. Disobedience makes God angry.

¹³ But Moses said, “O Lord, please send someone else to do it.” ¹⁴ Then the LORD’s anger burned against Moses..."

Exodus 4:13-14a

"I don't want to do it," is what makes God angry with Moses. God has no need for Moses to know what to do. All God needs from Moses is obedience.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT...

God is, "the same yesterday, today, and forever..." If God became angry at Moses for being disobedient will he be any less angry with us when we are disobedient? Do you think God is at all impressed with Christians who don't obey? Will God excuse those who claim ignorance, saying, "I don't know what to do?" Moses wasn't filled with the Holy Spirit, but since Christ, every believer is filled with the Spirit of God. Those who claim belief in Christ have less excuse than Moses!

Lonnie

THEORETICAL CHRISTIANITY ISN'T CHRISTIAN! Part 2 C

The Moses Principles:

C) Obedience Gives Us Eyes To See God,

And Fills Us With An Indefatigable

Desire For More Of God

THEORETICAL CHRISTIANITY ISN'T CHRISTIAN! Part 2 A

2011-07-13T13:00:00.006-04:00

The Moses Principles:

A) God Has And Is All The Answers

B) Why God Condemns Ignorance

C) Obedience Gives Us Eyes To See God,

And Fills Us With An Indefatigable

Desire For More Of God

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us."

~ 2 Corinthians 4:7

A) God Has And Is All The Answers

For most of 20 years I've asked Christian why the Church doesn't reach out to those who struggle with sexual brokenness in our midst. The answer I always get is, "We don't know what to do." I've stopped asking because all it does is bring God's judgment upon their heads. I admit that used to give me a smile of satisfaction, but now my past behavior appalls me. As I said in the last post, "An Obedient One can never become the accuser of the brethren for that is satanic. Still whenever Christians claim ignorance as an excuse for not following Christ's commands know that it brings the judgment of
God. How can God judge any Christian for ignorance? If God judges us for what we do not know isn't his judgment unfair??

God's judgment isn't unfair, and a Christian who proclaims ignorance deserves God's judgment. Don't believe me, well sorry, the Bible has the story:

In Exodus 3 we find the story of Moses and the burning bush. God calls to Moses and commissions him to go to Pharaoh and demand the release of the Hebrew slaves. The call of Moses begins in Exodus chapter 3 and ends at chapter 4:17. What is important to remember is there are two accounts of Moses' story. The other account is found in Acts 7:17-36, as part of what is commonly called, "Stephan's Defense".

First look at God's call of Moses:

⁷ The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. ⁸ So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians..." "⁹ And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. ¹⁰ So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

~ Exodus 3:7-10

{I have edited out the end of verse 8, and all bold script is my addition}

If you look at the two verses I've made bold it appears that God is making contradictory statements. First God says, "I have come down to rescue them (the Hebrew slaves) from the hand of the Egyptians." Then God says in verse 10 "So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh..." Hold the phone...God first says, "I have come down to rescue, and then he says to Moses, "...now go..." What up with that??? Is God a little kornfused?; a little schizophrenic perhaps?? Is God going or is Moses going?

When God calls us to go, it is for us to go with him. We become the conduit for God's work to those he chooses. So God has come down to rescue, and Moses is God's chosen vessel for the work.

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us."

~ 2 Corinthians 4:7

¹⁰ "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."

~ Ephesians 2:10

"...and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice."

~ John 10:3-4

God always leads the way. The only time a shepherd would drive the sheep was if he was leading them to slaughter. God has come down himself, is going out ahead of Moses, and when he tells Moses to go he knows he'll arrive first. So when God calls us to obey him, he's already got all the prep work done, and when we go it is to meet God there. The work of the believer is to simply go.

Three times Moses raises objections about God calling him to the work of salvation. First Moses doubts Pharaoh will listen to him. Second Moses doubts the people will believe him. Third Moses tells God he doesn't talk well enough for the job. Each time God painstakingly explains to Moses how Moses is to respond. Finally with the Moses third objection concerning his inability to speak well, God seems to say, "HELLO! You're talking to God! Remember I created humankind!? I've got it covered Moses; cool your jets dude!!"

God doesn't become angry with Moses, no matter how many times Moses says, "Sorry God, I can't do this." Why doesn't God get mad when Moses says, continually, "I can't do this!" God has no reason for anger. Everything Moses says is absolutely true. God can only work in and through people who know, "I can't do this!" When God calls the right answer, all the time, every time is, "God, I can't do this...", but with that response had also better come, "Here I am Lord, send me." It isn't about us, we're cracked pots. The treasure in us is God's, the call is God's, the completion of the call is God's.

Our role is to receive God's gracious salvation when he enables us to choose it. Keep (obey) the teachings of Jesus (and by extension, the teachings of Jesus Apostles), which makes us his true disciples, and as we become more and more obedient disciples we know him better and better. When God has developed in us enough godly character then he can begin to fulfill the call which will fulfill your life, open your eyes to see God more clearly, and will fill you with an unquenchable hunger for more of God!!

BOTTOM LINE: Don't ever worry that you can't do what God calls us to do...YOU CAN'T, you'll never be able to, and if you could you would be God. If God has all the answers then we don't need to, we simply need to obey. If we do not obey, its not because we don't know what to do. If we don't obey God it is because we have more faith in ourselves than we do in God. This leads us to Moses Principle "B"

NEXT POST: THEORETICAL CHRISTIANITY ISN'T CHRISTIAN! Part 2 B

The Moses Principles:

B) Why God Condemns Ignorance

THEORETICAL CHRISTIANITY ISN'T CHRISTIAN! Part 1

2011-07-11T08:42:00.004-04:00

Be Doers Of The Word

"All you Bible "believing" Christians, who deplore the actions of the Presbyterian Church USA's decision, opening the way for ordination of LGBT persons, do you think you will escape the judgment and wrath God pours out on those who reject the Bible's doctrines?"...

For nearly 20 years I've pleaded with God for understanding of my fellow Christians. "WHY!?" I would cry out, "WHY! Doesn't the Church understand how to lead people toward your hope, life, light, peace, freedom and love?!?!?!" Always, and I mean always, John 8:31-32 would pop into my head:

³¹ To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. ³² Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

If I look back at all of the posts I wrote, on Xanga blogs, more than 80% of them have these two verses of Scripture in them. Do you know why so much of what I write had these two verses from John in them? Because I've asked God so many times, "God why doesn't the church know how?" I thought John 8:31-32 was something God wanted me to tell my fellow Christians, but it was much simpler than that. God wasn't telling me something for anyone else...God was merely answering my question: "Why don't Christians understand?" The Church doesn't understand God's freedom, because the Church won't obey Christ's teachings.

If you're one of those people who think the term "Christian" has too much baggage, and too much sin attached to it, then try, "Obedient Ones". Obedient is what Jesus calls his true disciples. All anyone has to do is look at John 8:31-32 to see that; its right there in black and white, and has been there for more than 2,000 years.

John 8:31-32 is why I had to come back to Xanga. I never had any plans to return here and blog. I'd visit some of your blogs, but I had no intention of coming back. Why did I have to come back? Because of the "Such _were_you agenda". And what exactly is that agenda? To give my fellow Christians enough verbal "rope" with which to hang yourselves. For years the majority have acknowledged what I was saying on my blog was truth, but you didn't want to do anything with what I was teaching. You wanted me to be your source for dealing with all things LGBT. What I know that you don't know is that every time I tell you the truth, but you don't apply it, you bring judgment upon your own heads. If I am such a good teacher; so full of good spiritual insight, then why didn't you do what I taught? I've told you all for years what and how I teach is exactly how God gave it to me. If it all comes from God and works for me, it will work for anyone. When we acknowledge the truth without practicing the truth we are according to God "foolish and deceived". (See Matthew 7:26 and James 1:22). I don't want to reach/teach the Church, none of them will listen to me. If you people on Xanga, who appear to like me, won't listen then no other Christians ever will. So the agenda was to set you all up:

Tell you the absolute truth of God
You pat me on the back, "Atta boy, Lonnie!"
You would acknowledge, but never practice the truth for yourselves
I get to say, "See God, no one will listen. Even those who acknowledge I'm teaching the truth won't do it themselves!"

This created two great sin problems for me. 1) My agenda cast me in the roll of "accuser of the brethren". An Obedient One can NEVER be the accuser of the brethren, for that is satanic. 2) My cousin James pointed out that God expects one thing from those who claim to be his: FAITHFULNESS.

Some of you might argue my increasing harshness was part of my sin problem as well, but that was also part of setting you up. I'll explain later in the second or third part of this post why the harshness isn't really the issue you think it is.

God has called me to reach/teach the Church. That is the overall call, every aspect of what God desires to do in and through me flows from that particular call. I have no desire to reach or teach the Church. I used to be gay! I am the last person Jesus Christ should call. No one in the Church will ever listen to me, and in fact that always proves to be the absolute truth. Still there is this call hanging over my head like an axe blade. Anyone and everyone would be better suited to God's call than I could ever be. All my life I've believed everyone, and I mean just about everyone, is smarter, more capable, wiser, just better in every way. That's the source of all my frustration and confusion with the Church. I should be able to tell my fellow Christians; Obedient Ones, and they'd simply do it all so much better than I ever could. The added benefit is, of course, that the Church would listen to someone who hadn't been gay. Gay is such a terrible word to Christians. Its so terrible no Christians will ever put themselves out to obey God to the point where they'll truly understand how God saves and frees. How do I know the Church won't ever obey God? Well...It has been 42 years since the Stone Wall Riots started the modern LGBT rights movement. After 42 years churches either accept homosexual orientation as natural, or they, increasingly, see homosexuality as a sinful proclivity some Christians will struggle to endure in this life. These two positions will bring Christians the eternal condemnation of God. The Bible is absolutely clear on this point:

"I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33b

"...for everyone born of God overcomes the world."

1 John 5:4a

God doesn't close his eyes to and accept sin, and God doesn't merely struggle against sin. God completely overcomes; destroys; burns up; vaporizes sin. Nothing else but God's standard will be acceptable for God. You and I don't overcome anything. God does all the overcoming in and through us. All we do is obey what Jesus tells us to do, and even that is completely enabled and empowered by the Holy Spirit. God saves us from top to bottom, but our part is to walk in it.

We can study theology all we want to, but we'll never know God's freeing, life giving, salvation, for us or others, until we do what he says. Don't believe me? Its right there in John 8. Jesus tells us, "Do what I teach, and you are my true disciple. As you do what I teach you will know the truth (the truth is Jesus, not merely a set of spiritual standards), and the truth will set you free." Don't keep Jesus teachings and you won't know the truth; both Jesus and the deep spiritual standards. This is what James is talking about when he says in James 1:22,

"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."

Why doesn't anyone in the Church understand how God makes a sexually broken person, "...and such were some of you..." The Church doesn't understand God's freedom for sexually brokenness because we haven't been obedient to keep Christ's teachings. We've accepted that theoretical is acceptable to God. "All you Bible "believing" Christians, who deplore the actions of the Presbyterian Church USA's decision, opening the way for ordination of LGBT persons, do you think you will escape the judgment and wrath God pours out on those who reject the Bible's doctrines?"... You conservative believers still don't know what to do with sexually broken people. It is not enough to claim you believe the Bible. Jesus and those who belong to him overcome sexual brokenness. If you do not understand that God always overcomes, then you do not yet know God. Don't believe me? It's right there in the Bible, and has been for over 2000 years. Both left and right sides will be condemned, for you do not know Jesus overcomes Same-Sex Attraction, and every other manifestation of lust in human beings. It isn't a work we do, it is all God's work to in and through us. Our part is to obey!!!

Now of course obedience isn't merely about reaching the sexually broken with the overcoming truth and power of Jesus Christ. I didn't set out to reach sexually broken people either. I started working in a soup kitchen reaching out to everyone there. But since I was obedient to Christ's call:

"And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’"

~ Matthew 25:40

God lead me to street walking hookers. It is through my experiences with hookers that God was able to open my eyes to the root of my own sin, and the sin of the Church. Had I not been obedient to serve everyone at that soup kitchen I still would not know the overcoming power of Jesus Christ. Since the Church does not yet know the overcoming power of Jesus Christ for the sexually broken then the Church has not obeyed Christ.

I hope you will stick with me as I write this series. I've just scratched the surface thus far.

Lonnie

47 YEAR OLD AND A BIKE

2011-06-04T22:20:00.000-04:00

I Raced A Chipmunk...

And The Chipmunk Won!!!

I aired up my tires and hit the road this morning about 6:30. The sun was just coming up, so it was cool and still. I love riding in the morning. Pollen counts are also down in the early morning. I'm still suffering with my allergies, but I'm going to suffer anyway, so I'm going to ride. I'm at the point now I get very disappointed if I miss my morning ride. I crank up praise and worship music on my iPod, and ride like the wind! Okay, maybe not like the wind.

Okay, maybe not even as fast as a slow puff of air from an old man with bad emphysema. This morning not one, not two, but three chipmunks crossed the path of my speeding bicycle. I was relieved when the first one made it by, but only by a hairs breadth. When the second one crossed me, I was beginning to feel my age. Still I was glad number two didn't get mangled in my spokes. Number three, well number three was a little more interesting. Number three didn't simply cross in front of my speeding bicycle he started across a little late. Number three's trajectory was at an angle, but because he started running by the time my front wheel had already passed him, he had to run very hard to clear the front of my bike. He did outrun my bike, but came the closest to death by a fat bald man on big silver bike. I raced a chipmunk for a few feet, and the chipmunk won! Denied the checkered flag by a rodent half the length of my own foot!! I know how Charley Brown feels when he goes to kick the football and Lucy pulls it away!!! OH THE AGONY OF DEFEAT!!!

There actually was a fourth chipmunk, but chipmunk number four started to cross in front of me, but jumped back into a sitting position until I passed. Number four is the SMART chipmunk. I tell you number four would have been road kill if he'd crossed me! Three strikes and your out sucker!! I intimidated and dominated number four! Man and bike win the final engagement with little, furry, and so cute you wanna puke!! That's right little dude, you don't want to mess with a man wearing shorts so tight he can sing a high C above C!! It will not go well for you number four!!

OH THE AGONY!!

WHAT THE BOY WHO NAMES HIMSELF "ABLE" OUGHTA KNOW...

2011-06-03T12:30:00.001-04:00

I was having coffee with my best friend this morning, and Al came up in conversation. Al is a wonderful young man we both got to know when my best friend was youth pastor at the church we all attended. Al like so many in the Church today struggles with his ability to be a Christian. Al's newest idea is to rename himself "Able". We're not talking about naming himself after the son of Adam and Eve who is murdered by his brother Cain.

Al has taken the name Able, because, "its what he's always struggled with..." So now Al is "Able". This accursed thinking is perhaps the worst pile of poisonous teaching the Church has ever been fed.

We've been fed this nonsense that Christianity is God's plan for human self-improvement. "If I just read the Bible, go to Church and Bible study enough then eventually I will change." Its as if we get a box of "Holy Spirit Power Bars" or a "Holy Spirit Cleaning Kit" when God makes us born again, and we're expected to "fix" or "clean" ourselves up. Sorry kids the Bible isn't a Holy Spirit inspired "self-help" program. God doesn't want to fix up the broken you. God wants to absolutely abolish you and me. Why else would Jesus say,

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘Youmust be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

~ John 3:5-8

Notice please the last sentence, "So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." The word "Spirit" is capitalized. Jesus says we must be born of the Holy Spirit. So if Al is born of God then how does he somehow become able?? Again what does the Bible teach about "able"?

"Therefore he [Jesus] is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them."

~ Hebrews 7:25

Gee it seems to me that Jesus believes he is "Able". And he is able to save to the uttermost; completely; from start to finish. If Jesus is able to do the work from beginning to end then ALL the work of salvation is his to do. If Jesus does 100% of the work of salvation, then what part of the work is left for us??? We are also told in 1 John 5:4,

..."for everyone born of God overcomes the world."

God thinks it is his "able" that makes us overcome the world, not our "able" with a Holy self-help or 12 step program. This is what so many in the Church do. Christians can't change themselves so instead they begin a program of sin management. "Hi my name is Al and I'm an alcoholic; I'm a homosexual; I'm a wife beater," and etc., ad nausea. God's plan is to make us born again, and then enable us to put off the old sin nature. And how do we know this is God's real plan?...ha ha ha, cause he tells us, that's why.

"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;"

~ Ephesians 4:22

Well, there we have it, "Take off the old self..." We get a picture of our sin nature as a garment. I don't know if you've ever seen one of those really old top coats men used to wear decades ago. See how the old coat is filled with our sinful ways. All too many Christians think they get a "Holy Spirit cleaning kit", and if they simply pour on enough Holy Spirit "Comet Cleaner", or Holy Spirit "Shout Stain Remover" the stains will eventually come out of the old self. So there they stand working away at the sin stains in their old self "overcoat". All the while, Jesus is dousing the old self with gasoline. Jesus, after covering the old self "overcoat" with gasoline, stands waiting with a match. Just as soon as we take it off he's ready to burn it up. Jesus is "Able", we are "Un-Able". If you want to please God then put off the old sin nature. Stop trying to clean up what God wants destroyed. Accept God's power to make you born again, and throw away the old self "overcoat". Stop trying to save what God himself won't even try to save. Better to simply give up than blasphemously calling yourself "Able". Are you God? Has Father hung you on a cross to pay for the sins of the world?? If you are not Jesus then don't dare usurp what can only belong to Jesus. Only Jesus is "able" to save to the uttermost. We have God's word on the matter.

Blessings,

Lonnie

PCUSA TO BEGIN ORDAINING SEXUALLY ACTIVE LGBT PRIESTS

2011-05-12T10:36:00.000-04:00

Let's Do What We Always Do...

Blame Someone Else

Founder of The Metropolitan Community Church (known as the first gay church), Troy Perry, admitted in his, 1991 book, Don't Be Afraid Anymore:

“I knew I would have few if any problems with the so-called

liberal churches. Liberal churches do not usually deeply

involve themselves with Scripture.”

What the PCUSA has done is what's called a "no-brainer". Perry may have written that in 1991, but he had his head wrapped around the concept back in the 1960's when he started his church. I also understand there are many members of the PCUSA who adhere to the teachings of the Bible. Its all good and well that many Bible believing Presbyterians USofA hold to the traditional faith, but that isn't the truly important issue. The problem is that the Church, the whole Church, has left a spiritual vacuum when it comes to matters of sexual immorality. "STOP DOING THAT, CAUSE THE BIBLE SAYS SO," is not an answer to anything. Jesus said, "The world will give you TROUBLE, but smile and be cheerful, I have OVERCOME the world." (BP's paraphrase). Screaming at people, even if its the truth, isn't God's way. I would know about that, now wouldn't I??? I've screamed at everyone for most of 5 years on Xanga.

I screamed at my fellow Christians, gay people, gay christians, and "struggling" Christians. Didn't work did it? You Christians didn't like my yelling at you, all it did was make you feel defensive, and that I was unloving and NOT doing things the way Christ would do them. You know what? YOU WERE RIGHT!! You didn't have the guts to call me on it, but YOU WERE THINKING IT!!! Guess what?? I started yelling at you for THAT very reason!! As a gay man I had Christians giving me 10 KINDS OF HELL, by thumping their Bibles at me. I DID THE SAME EXACT THING TO ALL OF YOU!! So let me ask all you Bible believing Christians?

Do You know how to bring LGBT people to the place the Bible speaks of in 1 Corinthians 6, "...and such were some of you..."??

I mean didn't all my yelling, blame laying, and meanness get you to learn all the things I wrote all those years?! Didn't you run right out and buy all those books I told you to read?! Didn't I guilt you into the service of the Lord toward LGBT people??? NO?? Well, maybe the Bible is right after all?? Maybe all my judgmental rants and raves weren't God's way?? Perhaps Romans 2:4, really is the truth??

"Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?"

See I knew all along that it is the kindness, the love, the goodness of God which leads people to repentance. But too many of my fellow Christians couldn't or wouldn't understand that. Well, all of my meanness, nastiness, and hatefulness failed;

FAILED!!!

I did it more and more and more, but it had no effect at all. No one jumped up, and got on the front lines, to lead LGBT people to Christ. See, it doesn't work on you Christians. It never worked, and cannot work with LGBT people, or anyone else. I simply tired myself out, raised my blood pressure, and stopped liking who I was on Xanga. So there we have it. Can we chalk this one up as "lesson learned"? I mean do you see now that the way I acted on the "Such were you" blog wasn't effective at all??? Oh, many of you loved that I was "kicking butt, and taking no prisoners!" The problem IS Jesus didn't, doesn't, and will never work that way. Jesus never, NEVER, "stood against" any sin. Jesus overcomes; defeats; utterly destroys sin. If we aren't overcoming sin, then we aren't serving God. I wasn't serving God when I gave all of you hell. Well, I wasn't directly serving God, by my direct action. I will have been serving God if all of you will look at what I was doing and see the error in it. If you can see the error of "standing up against" something then God will have been richly served indeed!

So how do we overcome the sin of sexual immorality? Its simple, its how God saved me, its how God saves everyone: "FAMILY"... That's it, that's all there is. Look at people and ask the Holy Spirit to work in and through you to draw people into his family. You may not want that person in the family, you may not want anything at all to do with them. Feelings are irrelevant. Just keep asking God, and interacting with the person in the simplest ways. Say "hi" and smile when you see them. Say "goodbye" and smile when they or you leave. That is how it begins...REALLY, I'm not joking, it is this simple. The key is to keep asking God to work in and through you to draw them into his family. God may never work through you to actually draw that person into the family. BUT!!! If you keep asking, DRUM ROLL PLEASE!, God will build in you a desperate desire for that person's salvation! How do I know it works that way?? I know because its exactly what happened to me as I prayed for hookers at the soup kitchen where I worked.

After 4 years I was so desperate I had to talk to them, interact with them, hold their hands and pray for them. My eyes were opened to God's great mercy, love, and kindness toward them. All I wanted was for God to save them, so they could stop hurting themselves. I didn't care how awful and sinful other religious people said they were. I simply wanted to see God save them, bring them into the family, and free them so they could have eternal life, and be free from slavery to what they HATED. And what did they HATE, sexual immorality. Oh, yes, at first they did say, "I'm doing it, cause I looooove sex!" But after a while they'd show contempt for men, and say little things about how men "used" them. It was never again about, "I love sex." It was always about men using them. Look, everyone loves sex, but everyone hates being used by other people. So, maybe some hookers did start out for the love of sex, but once they learned "sex" meant a guy "using" their bodies, as a garbage can, love is the last thing they felt.

It is this way with every form of sexual immorality. Lust is the root, and the only thing that can come from lust is "using". I don't have any doubt the first intent for many, maybe most immoral behavior is the pursuit of love or the love of sex. In the end they all find out they are using and being used. Love isn't the point, pursuit, or result. Its easy to overcome the lie of lust the world offers. All Christians have to do is offer what God offers with Jesus Christ, "For God so loved the world he gave his only Son..." Give the love of God, and the world can't hide behind lust for long. Because I asked God for "family", God gave me a heart for family. When I look at LGBT people, church people, prostitute people, and every other "sinner" I want God to make them family. Its impossible for me to condemn someone I want in the family. And when I want what God wants then God finds a way to draw them toward him. Don't ask how it happens, I don't know it just happens. I can't tell you how to do it, but God brought me to his promised, "...and such were some of you..." "I were", but now "I are" in the family of God! This is why I cannot be "such were you". I can only be "such are you"

Yeah, I've always known the answer, but I wasn't going to tell you. I looked at hookers with condemnation in my thinking and actions, at first. God had to do a work in me to break all of that down. God had to show me that condemnation can't produce anything godly. And then God taught me the true answer to the problem of every kind of sexual immorality...

"FATHER I BEG YOU!! IN THE NAME OF JESUS!! WORK IN AND THROUGH ME TO DRAW THAT PERSON TOWARD YOUR FAMILY! OH! GOD!! I BEG YOU!! GOD PLEASE SAVE AND FREE AND BE MERCIFUL TO THEM!!"

You know that God has given you the taste of his heart, for lost people, when you start balling your eyes out, and blowing snot everywhere, whenever you pray for total strangers. And by "total strangers" I mean people you have looked at in the past and thought, "SINNER!"

So how bout it? Who do you prefer, "Such were you", or "Such are you"??? Go on... You can admit it ...I already know anyway, and so do you!!

I am forever, in Christ, SUCH ARE YOU!!

Lonnie

THE 47 YEAR OLD AND A BIKE...

2011-05-11T09:28:00.000-04:00

Sticks And Stones CAN Break My Bones!!

This is my work week (I work 7 days straight and then have the next week off), so I ride every morning after I get home from work. During my work week my I ride the same route. My intent is to exercise and build stamina. Then on my week off I can take more time and take longer rides. This morning as I was riding along I saw sticks, chuckholes, and BEARS! OH MY! Okay, not bears, but definitely sticks, limbs, rocks, chuckholes, broken pavement, huge gaping chasms...er...sorry my hyperbolic gland is acting up today.

Anyway I couldn't believe the size, variety, and placement of all the dangerous debris littering my entire path. "How, as a kid, did I ever make it through so many hazards??" Then I thought, "Huh, as a kid you weren't as worried about the stuff in the road." As long as my tire didn't pop, it didn't matter too me. Yeah, I was thrown a couple of times as a kid. Bumps and bruises at 7 or 17 aren't what bumps and bruises are when you're 47.

The bike I own, while not the most expensive, is still a fairly good sized investment. My hide and its health are an even more sizable investment. So sticks and stones could break my bones, and that's not coming from my hyperbolic gland. I did hit a few but managed to dodge the big ones.

My point is this: As a kid on my bike was one of the few place I felt free and in control. All I had to do was outrun one chasing dog and a couple of bullies to feel almost invincible. On my bike I didn't "lose the forest for the tree." Today I was focused on the bits of trees, and road, and doggy doo. I don't want my adult bike experience to become a shadow of its former self.

I'm not worried. I simply want to be aware and guard against worry coming in and taking over.

Lonnie

47 YEAR OLD AND A BIKE

2011-05-10T08:23:00.000-04:00

Breathing

I was having problems with my ears aching long after riding. I thought it was the sound of the wind rushing by. Then I remembered from high school weight lifting, "breath in through your nose, and out through your mouth." I started doing that and no more problems with the ears.

The lousy weather has been keeping me from riding. But this week I've got some promising days, or at the very least brief periods of rain. I'm back in the saddle again and loving it. After I build up some stamina, I'm planning on adding some exercises for my upper body. I was thinking of swimming.

Any ideas for upper body exercise would be appreciated. I only ask that it not merely be "weight training". I'll likely add some of that eventually, but honestly its so boring. What I want are some more fun ways of exercising, so it keeps my interest. I can't simply jog, or walk, or lift weights. I'd be bored to tears. I've always loved bike riding, so it was kind of a no brainer, once I gave it thought.

So let me in on the fun exercise low down; gimme the skinny on interesting way to work the old bod; slip me the 411 on some radical work'em outs...

Lonnie

MY FORD EXPLORER IS DEAD

2011-05-07T00:39:00.001-04:00

R.I.P. Booger Green Beast

I knew there was something wrong with my front end. I was doing a lot of bouncing. I thought time for some shocks and I'll be good for another 80,000 miles. I'd planned to drive the wheels off the thing. Well, actually I almost did. I drove the entire front end off it. I was actually afraid I had a bigger problem, when I nearly lost complete control during a recent rain storm. I was still telling myself the old girl just needed shocks when I took her in. They even quoted me a price on them, and I told them to go ahead, relieved I was wrong about something worse. Then the guys doing the work called, and said, upon closer inspection, the whole front end needed to be replaced, plus new shocks. The total for everything would be about $2,000. My old gas guzzling Explorer wasn't worth the money to fix her up. So I went and got this: A 2011 Ford Fusion. I'll miss my beautiful V8, since I got the 4 cylinder version of the car. 33mpg is oh so much sweeter than 15mpg.

I didn't have a great deal of time to think, but I did a lot of praying. I couldn't wait, the old sled wasn't safe to drive anymore, and I needed another car to get to work on Sunday night. So I stayed open to God's leading, and believe I got what I needed.

LET THE DEAD BURY THEIR DEAD

2011-05-02T09:00:00.008-04:00

When I read a post titled "Zombie Jesus Day Misses The Point" (click on the title to view the post), I thought, "Well, yeah, the world does miss the point." How could the world not miss the point of Jesus? If the world knew Jesus they could never have come up with Jesus and zombie in the same thought. If the world didn't miss the point about Jesus they would be Christians. Actually those who thought up Zombie Jesus Day just got it backwards. Jesus is a live, the peoples of the world would be the zombies, from God's perspective anyway. Before Father God drew me to his Son, and the Holy Spirit convicted me of sin, righteousness and the coming judgment I didn't, honestly, know I was dead. I always knew something was wrong; something was missing. Until God filled in the blanks for me I simply had no idea.

This post isn't about Zombie Jesus Day. This post is about the world and Christ's kingdom. Just after 11:00 PM Eastern Standard Time, May 1, 2011, we learned that Osama bin Laden has been killed. "SCORE 1 FOR THE GOOD GUYS!!" Right? Yes, certainly, for Americans the death of bin Laden is the long awaited vengeance for the 9/11 attacks on American soil. So the American Government got their bad guy. That is fine for Americans. I am a disciple of Jesus of Nazareth, born of God's own Spirit; new born a citizen of Christ's kingdoms.

As a citizen of the kingdom of God I sat here and wept. Another beloved soul has escaped Christ's gift of eternal life of freedom from the penalty and rule of sin, and eternal joy in the presence of God. I wept, because the Father touched my heart with a little insight of how he sees things. Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem, not because they would kill him, but because the people of "His" city were not willing to be his. I wept for bin Laden, because he was not willing to be Christ's.

Did the government of the United States do what it should do? Sure, they sought out and killed an enemy which had killed American citizens, on American soil, who had not attacked bin Laden or his people. This is what governments in the world do. What is that to me? I am a citizen of God's kingdom. King Jesus doesn't behave in any way shape, form, or fashion, the way the rulers of the kingdoms of the world work. My stance on the behaviors and practices of the world and its kingdoms, is exactly that of Jesus..."Let the dead bury their dead." Jesus Christ has made me eternally alive in himself. I am no longer "the dead", Jesus is addressing. God has created a new eternal spirit in me, and calls me to be seated with Christ in heaven. Just as God gave Jesus to the world as a love offering, so now God gives Jesus in and through me as a love offering. What is it too me if one zombie attacks another zombie? (I'm speaking figuratively here, just so you understand). What do I have to do with what the dead do to the dead? Who am I to judge the dead and what they do to the dead? We are told this very thing by the Holy Spirit through our dear brother and apostle Paul.

"What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside."

~1 Corinthians 5:12-13

And of course my Lord and savior, Jesus of Nazareth, said it this way, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead." ~Matthew 18:22. The living don't trouble themselves with the burial of the dead. The dead and buried are beyond the salvation of Jesus. They are judged by God. My judgment of the walking dead is "Come to Jesus you who are worn out and beat to death. Jesus will give you rest and life. Here now, take Jesus' ways and works. You will find rest, life, and strength in working with Christ in his work." (The Bad Penny paraphrase of Matthew 11:28-30). Jesus says, "I have come to give you life, and life eternally." I am a disciple of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ. I don't bury the dead, God through his Eternal Spirit in me, drags their rotten carcasses to Jesus (God's Anti-Zombie) so he may, hopefully, draw them out of death into eternal life. The kingdoms of this world will do what kingdoms have always done, "The dead burying their dead." I don't have a judgment, that belongs to my Father. I have a commandment from my king, Lord, savior, and beloved brother, Jesus, "GO! And bring in the dead to me! QUICK NOW, BEFORE THEY CAN BURY ANY MORE!!"

Those are my thoughts on this matter.

Would you please share your thoughts, on the matter, or better yet, would you pray and ask God's thoughts on this matter?! Then share something with us.

Lonnie

HAPPY ZOMBIE JESUS DAY, OR...

2011-04-27T17:57:00.001-04:00

How Atheists Celebrate Easter

I did not know that Easter had been given a new name by some atheists and agnostics. I choose to think its funny. The illustration I've added above isn't a representation of the real Jesus Christ, who is my savior. I'm not offended that people who are not Christian treat Jesus this way. Anyone who knows Jesus would never think of this kind of thing.

Actually the whole zombie thing has some merit. They just got the roles reversed. From God's perspective it is the people of the world who are the walking dead, or zombies. Jesus is the anti-zombie.

See? That really wasn't so bad, now was it??

FINAL THOUGHTS FROM SINNERS IN THE HANDS OF AN ANGRY CHURCH

2011-04-07T12:00:00.008-04:00

What Should We Really Value?

"As Charles Colson puts it, "You don't change a culture by passing

laws. You change a culture by changing people's habits.

That's why the the Gospel is so central to the the

possibilities of cultural reformation in American life."

Anything that gets in the way of someone truly understanding

and evaluating the gospel of Jesus Christ deserves a serious

review. When Americans can't seem to hear the Good News

because of the Christian media's stream of bad news delivered

with acrimonious passion, something is terribly wrong."

(Dean Merrill, Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry Church; Zondervann Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI; 1997; pg. 162)

When I read this excerpt from Merrill's book I am brought back to Paul's words in Philippians 3:7-11

⁷ But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith inChrist—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. ¹⁰ I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Look at the part of the verses I've made bold: "I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ." I believe the most faithful rendering of the word "garbage", in English is, in fact, "shit". Paul is telling us that everything besides Jesus Christ is shit, and he's not making reference to natural fertilizer.

Paul is so funny, but we don't take him as being funny, do we? Ask any theologian who the greatest theological writer in the Bible is, Old or New Testament, and Paul is always the first to come to mind. Wesley, Calvin, Luther, and the majority of others would hold up Paul's writing's as the greatest in the Bible. This is why Paul is so funny. Paul says that he is the least of the apostles, because he persecuted Christ. We think of Paul as the greatest, but we don't really know why. Paul is the greatest, not for his great theology. (Paul is one of the greatest theologians, by the way.) Paul is great because he threw his religious position away; he tossed away being "right"; he threw out all things kosher and Jewish. Instead of being a hero of the Jews he is the hero of the Gentile believers. Paul tells us in Romans that if he could save all the Jews through condemnation of himself, that he would make this sacrifice. Paul was the Jew to end all Jews; the Big Kahuna Jewish theologian. But Paul says, "I am the least of Christ's apostles..."

Everything Paul was he threw out of his life that he might have all that God gives through his only Son, Jesus. He gave up all that he valued, all that he had earned. Paul gave up everything he thought God is supposed to be, so that he could know all that God promised through Jesus. He even rebuked the apostle Peter for acting "Jewish", because of some men James had sent to visit. Paul empties himself of everything he could be in himself. Paul isn't great because he's the best theologian. Paul is the best, because he let go of himself, and grasped at all of Christ. Jesus grabbed him, and Paul grabbed Jesus back.

What makes Paul remarkable, memorable, right, good, brilliant, the greatest of Christ's apostles is the new life of Christ in him. It is Jesus/Paul we can't help loving. It is Christ Jesus in Paul, "the hope of glory," that we find great. The secret is Christ. Just Jesus Christ. Paul is right...everything...EVERYTHING, which is not Christ is shit.

This is what I believe: Jesus is everything. What is not Jesus is shit. I am a believer in Jesus of Nazareth...God's answer to and for everything.

Any questions?

I'M STRUGGLING....

2011-03-28T09:13:00.000-04:00

PASSION PLAY??

Mom wanted the family to attend her church's version of The Passion Play. They did an admirable job. I liked the script, but the songs were all modern worship songs. The characterizations were good enough. The set was very good, and just the spectacle alone in this massive church was very impressive. (This church building is so big critics call it "Six Flags Over Jesus", and they aren't far off).

There were all the important scenes: Jesus defending an adulterous woman; Jesus confronting the religious leaders; Jesus healing the sick and raising the dead; Jesus arrested; and Jesus crucified. Everything a good "Passion Play" must have it had in spades. It tugged on the heart strings.

I guess my problem is I can't relate to any of the characters, or stories. These days if I wanted to defend a woman caught in adultery I'd first have to find someone who cared about anyone committing adultery. I watched Jesus confront the Pharisees and other religious leaders, but those Pharisees don't look a thing like me. How am I supposed to know what my own religious peccadillos are? I was moved by Jesus' crucifixion. It was clever when they sent up a cloud of smoke and sprung Jesus up through the floor. They even had great way of flying Jesus out of the auditorium when he ascended. My problem is still understanding what the Bible means when I'm told, "...it is not I who live, but Christ who lives in me..." Look I've been in a couple of "Passion Plays" myself. Their fine, really. I've watched many of them, including the one Mel Gibson did on film several years ago. Passion Plays are great drama, and they pull the heart strings so hard they almost break. What Passion Plays lack is the ability to produce the same passion in my own heart and actions.

The truth is the gospel stories aren't good material for stage or film productions. What the gospels are great at is producing miraculous life changes. Miraculous life changes produce incredible drama in our lives as we, through the Holy Spirit, live out the gospels in our own day to day sojourn.

Just Some Thoughts,

Lonnie

47 YEAR OLD AND A BIKE

2011-03-21T10:04:00.000-04:00

Bike Shorts!

You've heard, "No pain no gain," and I'm good with that. I have been riding every day, and I'm loving the pain in my legs. Each day I'm building stamina, as I ride for longer amounts of time. The problem is pain in another place...where the bike saddle and I meet. That is not good pain, and I don't look forward to that, at all. I know I said I wasn't going to get any of those "gross" bike shorts...ha ha ha...I didn't know what I needed when I bought the bike, but I know better now. I quickly went to the guy who sold me the bike, and had him sell me some "gross" bike shorts.

today for the first time I rode wearing my new shorts. Oh! What a feeling some padding makes! Oh, and I took care of the grossness of the shorts by wearing a pair of light weight basketball shorts over them. No one watching would know I was wearing my bike underwear.

I'm back in love with my bike!

MORE SINNERS IN THE HANDS OF AN ANGRY CHURCH

2011-03-16T17:30:00.003-04:00

America A Christian Nation?

"When American Christians today cry for a return to the founding principles, what they have in mind, without realizing it, is less the philosophy of Washington and Jefferson than that of the Pilgrim settlers 150 years earlier. There one finds the up-front, openly Christian proclamations:

"In you name of God Amen. We whose names are underwritten... doe by these presents solemnly & mutually in ye presence of God, and one of another covenant, & combine ourselves togeather into a civill body politick..."

~ The Mayflower Compact, 1620

"We shall find that God of Israel is among us when he shall make us a praise and glory that men shall say of succeeding plantation: "The Lord make it lie that of New England." For we must consider that we shall be a city on a hill."

~ John Winthrop, on board the Arbella, 1630,

en route to become the first governor of the

Massachusetts Bay Colony

Thus it was entirely logical, according to a 1641 Massachusetts law, that "if any man...shall have or worship any other god, but the Lord God, he shall be put to death" ...On a lesser scale, people also were expected to be diligent in educating their offspring. If they were not, "the selectmen [town councilmen], on finding children ignorant, may take them from their parents and put them into better hands, at the expense of their parents."

How would you like to put that power in the hands of big government today?"

(Dean Merrill, Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry Church; Zondervann Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI; 1997; pg. 92-93)

Just some thoughts...

How bout it? Would you like the government under Obama, or for that matter Bush, to come take the kids, give 'em away, and force you to pay child support? And whose version of Christianity shall the government enforce? Shall we be Catholic (beer and gambling for all), Baptist (No beer or gambling at all), or how about whichever flavor the President prefers? Obama would be president and his pastor, Jeremiah Wright would be Lord High Poobah of the most holy American See.

Perhaps we should simply go back to the faith of our Puritan forefathers? They sacrificed all to find a place to practice their religion as they saw fit. Of course they didn't extend that freedom to the native Americans living on the land they stole. The very pious Pilgrims would never have stolen from one another, but they stole from the native people's whose empty Summer lodgings they found.

If Jesus were the kind of God who stole and oppressed, the way our forefathers did to the indigenous peoples, I'd kick him to the curb and get a new God.

THE 47 YEAR OLD AND A BIKE

2011-03-12T14:42:00.002-05:00

I'm going to get this shirt!

I picked up the bike I bought this morning. It's a Trek 7000 17.5", and it weighs less than one of my legs. I strapped on my helmet, put my water bottle in the holder, and took off around the neighborhood. I haven't ridden a bike in about 20 years. I don't need to tell you where and how much I felt my first bike ride in two decades. I loved it, and that is the important thing.

As a young man I loved riding my bike. As an older man I will love riding my bike. The love affair didn't end it was postponed. The difficulty for me is the frustration with being out of shape. The desire to ride for miles is within, but the stamina isn't in my body yet.

Things to remember for my next ride:

Get a water bottle with a flip cap.
Do not take my sinus medication just before riding. It became a competition between breathing and swallowing large quantities of mucus. Somehow I think breathing is probably important.
I can see the appeal of those padded bike shorts. But the horror/humor of seeing Buddha wearing those shorts riding a bike might cause some serious accidents for on lookers in cars.

I'm loving it! I'll keep you posted

A WONDERFUL BOOK!

2011-03-11T10:00:00.001-05:00

In Dean Merrill's book, Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry Church: Finding A Better Way To Influence Our Culture, he relates a wonderful story about Abraham Lincoln's encounter at a wartime reception.

At a reception during the Civil War, President Lincoln made a passing reference
to Southerners as "erring human beings"--a much softer term than his
audience would have preferred. A woman quickly chastised him for his choice
of words. In her mind, they were enemies to be destroyed, and the sooner
the better.

"Why, Madam," replied Lincoln, "do I not destroy my enemies when I make
them my friends?"

Isn't President Lincoln's lesson the same lesson Christ teaches His Church? A man asks Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” And Jesus teaches the parable of “The Good Samaritan”. Jews despised Samaritans, because Samaritans are half-breeds, and therefore did not hold to the whole truth of God, revealed to the Jews through Moses. If Jesus were to tell this parable today he might change it up a bit. Perhaps instead of “ The Good Samaritan” the story would be called, “The Good Homosexual”. In the modern parable the injured person could be a fundamentalist Christian, and his caretaker could be a drag queen(s), in full regalia and makeup. The story would most certainly produce the same response in Christians, that the original likely produced in the religious Jews of Jesus' day.

Just a thought...

NO DEBT TO THE FLESH

2011-01-18T08:18:00.001-05:00

God has had me reading in Romans lately. Not a problem, I love Romans. There is one verse I have come to especially love, lately, Romans 8:12: "Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation--but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it." I LOVE THAT. Other versions use "debtors" rather than "obligation". We are not debtors to our sin nature. We don't owe our old sin nature anything at all. We don't have to follow it's lusts; we don't have to live under the control of the flesh nature's feelings; we don't have to go on being enslaved to anything of our old nature. Christ has paid all the debt. Jesus obliged Himself to a Roman cross, and took all my obligations to my old nature and way of life. In Christ there is only eternal life, freedom, holiness and righteousness. We are obliged; debtors to the new creation, birthed in us by God's own Spirit. God has created in us a new spirit which is made in the image of Christ. We may boldly proclaim "I am in Christ, and anyone who is in Christ Jesus is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold the new has come!"

Our God is the God who still speaks! Ours response should be that of Abraham, when God called him, "Here I am, LORD!"

Fresh Start

2011-01-14T18:52:00.000-05:00

I've shut down all other blog sites. I've decided to keep a more or less personal journal here. I have family here, and appreciate their input, so I'll work through my problems with this blog engine.

I'm going through some fairly big changes in life, beginning with some spiritual ones. I spent 5 years on another blog site attempting to reach out to people who struggle with, predominantly, Same-Sex Attraction. It is a painful lesson to learn, but the fact is, there are a great many religious people who do not desire real change. There are increasing numbers of people who would rather modify Christ than be modified by Christ. I'm an old school hold out. I cannot and do not modify Christ. Christ modifies me. I bring nothing to Christ. Christ is everything. I wane, but Christ waxes.

My 2 Cents

Lonnie

HERE WE GO AGAIN: SEARCHING GAY JEANS

2008-04-01T18:55:00.000-04:00

A One Note Symphony

On Friday night ABC's news program "20/20" did a story about the new search for a gay gene. This madness is never going to stop. It won't stop because the ideologues driving aren't going to stop. I have tried, I think unsuccessfully, in the past to explain why the search for a gay gene is ridiculous. I've said it until I'm blue in the face "a gene cannot code for a specific behavior, that's not the way genes work." We're not talking about eye color, we're talking about very complex human behaviors and interactions. The search for a gay gene is like searching for the single note of a symphony, or the single ingredient for a chocolate cake. There is no single gene which could possibly code for any human behavior let alone something as complex as human sexuality.
There are no one note symphonies and there are no one gene behaviors. Just as a symphony has many notes, uses many instruments, and needs coordination to create a cohesive understandable whole, so human behaviors would need to be orchestrated using myriad combinations of genes, working at various times in different ways. The writing, orchestrating and performance of a symphony is not a very good comparison for the workings of genes. The work of our genes is far more complex than any symphony could possibly be, but it's the best I've got.
Because of the complexities involved scientists regularly use animals that have fewer chromosome pairs than humans. One of the favorite subjects for genetic studies is the fruit fly. Fruit flies have 13 chromosome pairs next to 46 for humans. Lets take an arbitrary number: Imagine that there are 3 million possible genetic interaction for the fruit fly. In the human the number of possible genetic combinations/interactions could be more along the line of 300 trillion. Now I pulled those numbers completely out of my butt, The numbers aren't even close to the actual ratios, but you get the idea of why we might use creatures a great deal less complex than ourselves to study. No credible scientist would dare hold up what we discover about fruit flies and apply it to human beings. It doesn't stop junk science and media from doing it, but no credible scientist would ever do such a thing. The difference between what goes on with a fruit fly and a human is a chasm so vast it cannot be spanned. We study fruit flies to understand the workings of genes, not how they will work in humans.
The vast majority of people, especially those who keep doing "studies" and "experiments" in search of the "gay gene", don't have a clue as to the workings of genes. A real genetic study would include thousands of participants, over decades of time. The newest in the line of "fake" scientific endeavors is another study of "gay" siblings. The pool of participants may break the 1,000 participant mark, but hardly has the number to do a serious study. The findings of this new "study" will be splashed across the pages of main stream publications and television. The real scientific community will do what it has always done, keep it's cards close to it's vest, and hope to weather this new storm surge from "gonzo science". No new ground will be broken, nothing significant will change, and scientists will quickly go back to the work that really matters. The ripple from bad science will be acknowledged, reported upon, and viciously critiqued from within the scientific community. It will all be done in scientific journals and papers that none of the rest of us read. And believe me you don't want to read them. You have to have a PhD. in scientific lingo just to understand them.
There is no gay gene, no scientist can say if human sexuality is genetically encoded or not. We will probably never know one way or the other. The interaction of genes on such a scale is simply impossible for us to decode and understand. We don't even know what we're looking for. It's a "needle in a haystack" kind of thing, but no one knows what the needle looks like, or how big it actually is, or most importantly if the needle even exits. So it's more like looking for a myth in a haystack the size of Chicago. You not only don't know where it is, but you don't know if it actually exists to begin with. Scientists don't know how much genes have to do with human behaviors. They know genes certainly have a part, but the size and nature of that part is completely up in the air. Simply put....no one knows, but scientists do have serious doubts.
Putting forth the idea that something as complex as human sexuality being completely genetically predisposed is discouraged. Genes, it appears, don't code for specific behaviors. Best case is that genes make human behavior possible. So sexuality, like language, is made possible by our genes, but genes don't dictate who you will desire to have sex with, or which sex you'll choose. Genes make sexual language possible, but don't dictate which language we'll speak. The "gay gene" will continue to be a mystery, in the same way unicorns are a mystery.
And Christians who continue to give credence to this idea of "being born" gay are adding to the lies that credible science is being hijacked to create. Science doesn't support the view that people are born gay. Far from it, the real science is quietly debunking the politically motivated "junk" science behind "gay is inborn".

Feel free to follow the hijinks's of the latest search for the "gay" gene. I'm not sticking around for this one. I saw the first coming of the "gay" gene, and I already know the outcome of this one. It's already following in the footsteps of the other so called "gay scientific studies". If it's doing the same exact things the others have done then the same results will come as well. And what is the definition of insanity kids???

INSANITY: Doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.

That's my 2 cents on the matter!

Lonnie